Pioneering companies are bringing together expertise in sustainable agriculture and energy to develop technology and systems that approach the elegantly economical, zero waste systems found throughout the natural world.

Israel’s Blue Sphere Corp. is one such company. The agriculture/clean tech company focuses on preventing greenhouse gas emissions by turning waste into energy and generating revenue from energy, compost and carbon credits.

Blue Sphere is in “advanced discussions” with dairy farmers running dairy farms with 1,400 or more Holsteins. The company met with DBF buyers who have expressed interest in purchasing as much DBF as they can given the prices are attractive, management stated.

Blue Sphere sees lots of opportunity in the US and North America when it comes to agricultural waste-to-energy, compost and carbon credits.

The North American compost market from dairy farms, driven by demand from the horticultural industry, is estimated at over $1 billion annually.

Biomass and waste-to-energy is the leading renewable energy source and the most important fuel in use apart from oil, coal and natural gas worldwide, making up about a 20% share of the “mainstream energy market,” according to a recent research from Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

The US biomass and waste-to-energy markets continue to be the world’s largest, though the Asia-Pacific market is expected to grow fastest, at a 10.3% constant annual growth rate (CAGR), in the coming years.

It has a slew of projects in its pipeline, including 14 in China, four in the US and one in Canada. Seven projects were added this year, including three in Ghana, two in Cyprus, one in Greece and one in China.

In July, Blue Sphere signed an agreement with Beijing Clinci Energy and Environment Technology Co. Ltd. to jointly implement 14 animal waste-to-energy projects in China with an estimated annual generating capacity of more than 70 megawatts, as well as the production of organic compost.